Back from 2.5 wonderful weeks in Japan
 

Hello everyone,

My friend and I had found some amazing fares on Japan Airlines from Vancouver to Tokyo in January for a trip from April 21 to May 10th. I spent the next couple of months doing intense research on the internet, and hanging out on the Fodors forum.

When news of the March earthquake/tsunami came out, friends and family wanted (and expected) us to cancel. Our scheduled trip was 6 weeks away at that time, so we told them we would "wait and see", but in the hearts, we were always going to go.

Instead of reading media reports, we spent more time reading personal blogs of people in Japan at the time and monitoring Tokyo's progress that way.

I started a blog and updated while we were there for a couple of main reasons. One, it was a way to let our friends and family know that we were safe. And secondly, I wanted to do my part and spread the word to people to know that it was safe to travel to Japan.

Kristina from this forum was travelling around the same time I was, and I see that she has started her trip report. She has placed some really great tips and observations that I pretty much agree with so I won't repeat that type of information.

However, the only thing that I differ in views is the cost of eating in Japan. That has been a common question from many people--Is it expensive to eat in Japan, especially Tokyo? Maybe it is because Vancouver dining prices have increased so much in the past 5 years or so, and the fact that there is a 12% tax plus a 15-20% tip on top of the bill, that I found eating in Tokyo and Japan really reasonable. The fact that tax is included and there is no tipping made a huge difference in the total dining bill.

We did feel one tiny earthquake while in Tokyo that lasted a few seconds long. It was because we had just gotten into bed so it was quiet. It felt like a train just went by with a couple of creaks but then we realized we were on the 32nd floor so that wasn't possible. But that was it. If we were out and about, I am sure we wouldn't have felt it.

Here is a summary of our Itinerary:

Tokyo - 5 nights at Century Southern Tower
Hakone - 1 night at Fukuzumiro Ryokan
Takayama - 2 nights at Hida Takayama Ouan
Kyoto - 7 nights at Hotel Mume (originally 2 nights in Hiroshima but extended Kyoto stay last minute) - Daytrips to Nara, Uji, Hikone, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island
Kyoto - 1 night at Shiraume Ryokan
Tokyo - 2 nights at Hilton Tokyo Bay (Disneyland/Disneysea)

I read through Tripadvisor reviews thoroughly before picking out these hotels and all of them were just amazing, especially Hotel Mume in Kyoto. We extended our stay there and cancelled our Hiroshima hotel and ended up doing one long day trip to Hiroshima/Miyajima Island instead.

We did try out the luggage delivery service twice and for 2500 yen, we shipped our 2 suitcases between hotels from Tokyo to Hakone, and from Kyoto to Tokyo. Not having to navigate Shinjuku station with a suitcase was luxurious and so well worth the money!

We had an incredible trip. Some of the highlights:

Sushi breakfast at Tsukiji Fish Market
Ryokan experiences in both Hakone and Kyoto
Relaxing in the onsen (Japanese hot springs)
Experiencing Golden Week mayhem
Nishiki Market in Kyoto
Miyako Odori in Kyoto - http://www.miyako-odori.jp/odori_en.html
Dressing up like a Geisha in Kyoto - http://www.maiko-henshin.com/english/index.html
Having an in-room shiatsu massage...wow!
All meals: Hida Beef in Takayama, grilled oysters in Mayajima, Hiroshima-styled okonomiyaki, sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, kaiseki, venturing into an izakaya, and all the snack and sweet stops we made along the way...

Here is a link to my blog: http://travel.suejchiu.com/

If anyone has any questions, or would like me to post restaurant and/or hotel reviews, just let me know. My personal travel journal is a 50 page word document, so I would be happy to share more information but don't want to be information overload!

Thanks for the excellent report and update on conditions.

And I agree about eating costs in Tokyo -- while it's possible to spend a fortune if you want to, you can also eat wonderfully well for a very reasonable amount.

Don

50 pages....no problem, would love to hear more. True Fodorites love all the details.

I also agree with you and Don about eating costs in Japan and Don and I don't agree often. You can have some fabulous inexpensive Japanese food and with no tax or tips on top of what you pay.

More, more, more!

Aloha!

Thanks for a wonderful report. It's good to hear from people who have traveled to Japan since the quake.

Great report, thanks for sharing! Wonderful photos! Glad you decided to go...unfortunately I canceled my trip so I am living vicariously through others... ;-)

ohhhh, I agree with hawaiitraveler! I want ALL the details. Please email me because after 2 failed attempts at visiting Japan, I am FINALLY going next year. Yippee! I would love to hear everything you have to say about your experiences.

Sorry...this is what happens when you return from holidays. Day to day life and obligations take over!

HunyBadger had a few questions on hotel selection and rail pass information so I will just post my response to her in case anyone else is interested in the information...

JAPAN RAIL PASS

You can buy 7, 14, and 21 days and they are valid for all JR trains within Japan and on most Shinkansens. We bought a 14 day one (about $1080 for 2 x 14 day passes) and activated ours the day we left Tokyo. It includes reservation fees so I would take advantage of that. Sometimes the trains can get quite busy. We missed our reservation going back from Hiroshima to Kyoto so we went to the ticket office and made a reservation for the train after and there were only 3 available seats left.

Here is the website on the JR Rail pass and will show you where you can buy them. You must buy it before arriving Japan.
http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en003.html

You are able to obtain train schedules and prices on http://www.hyperdia.com/. If you know what destinations you plan on going, you can price out each leg to see if it is more advantageous to get a train pass or just pay for each train journey separately. I planned out our train schedules about 3-4 days at a time and went to a JR ticket office and get reservations for them.

HOTEL RESERVATIONS

Once I had a rough idea of my itinerary, I used Tripadvisor and read through almost all the reviews for the top 20 hotels in that city/town. Just because a hotel is rated number one does not necessarily mean it meets my needs in terms of location and/or price point.

I am a true believer that the quality of your accommodations can make or break your holiday. So I generally aim for 4 star or equivalent lodging with usually a night or two at a luxury hotel at some point during the trip as a splurge. I usually like a mix of higher end chains and boutique hotels, depending on where we are in the world. Location and service quality is high on my list so I spend a lot of time researching lodging before booking.

For hotel bookings, I used hotels.com, japanican.com, or through the hotel directly via online booking/email. I had no problems with bookings and aside from the two chain hotels in Tokyo at the beginning and end of the trip, I just walked into the hotel and they would guess who I was.

Sometimes the hotel offers differ, some include breakfast, some offer different room types, some require you to pre-pay, etc so you need to read carefully what the offer is for, and not look at just price alone. Always try to find the hotels that include breakfast and try to find ones that allow you to cancel because I like the flexibility to look for better deals up until the day I leave. Aside from the Century Southern Tower Hotel in Tokyo, we had breakfast included at all our hotels (always plentiful and a great selection), and the ryokan stays included elaborate kaiseki dinners as well. For our 18 nights, our lodging averaged out at $250/night taxes included and that is including two ryokan stays which are quite pricey. A ryokan stay is a "treat" and I would maybe do 2 during your trip just so you can have a comparison. The Hakone one was about $550 and the Kyoto one was about $650 inclusive of meals and also keep in mind we chose higher end rooms with private baths. If you go to Hiroshima and Miyajima Island, I would suggest a ryokan stay in Miyajima Island. Most of the lodging on Miyajima Island are ryokans and apparently the island is really charming in the evening after all the day trippers have left.

If anyone else has questions, feel free to ask!

In case anyone is interested, I have added reviews with photos of all the hotels and ryokans I stayed at in Japan onto my blog:

TOKYO: Century Southern Tower Hotel
http://travel.suejchiu.com/2011/04/t...n-tower-hotel/

HAKONE: Fukuzumiro Ryokan
http://travel.suejchiu.com/2011/04/h...an-experience/

TAKAYAMA: Hida Takayama Ouan
http://travel.suejchiu.com/2011/05/t...takayama-ouan/

KYOTO: Hotel Mume
http://travel.suejchiu.com/2011/05/k...el-hotel-mume/

KYOTO: Shiraume Ryokan
http://travel.suejchiu.com/2011/05/k...okan-shiraume/

TOKYO DISNEYLAND: Hilton Tokyo Bay
http://travel.suejchiu.com/2011/05/t...ton-tokyo-bay/

Will also add a post on Nishiki Market and the Maiko makeover experience soon as well. Stay tuned!

always love the details....glad to read that food can be reasonable..